Target Sports

.22 RIMFIRE BENCHREST: DON'T FORGET THE BENCH!

Created on 15th May 2009

Benches are usually seen as part of the furniture - but they're much more than that. Carl Boswell explains how to get the solid base you need

There's one thing we've neglected to talk about over the last year or so: the humble bench. We all take the bench we shoot from for granted - but in fact it forms the basis of all the accurate shooting we do, whether it's centrefire or rimfire benchrest. Clearly, if you don't have access to suitable benches at your local range you're not going to master the discipline effectively. So how to go about sourcing or building them?

I talked briefly to Vince Bottomley about this months ago. (I must thank him here for supplying a variety of pictures he has collected on his travels that help me show the diversity in the styles and ways of making, building or even buying the best bench that you can afford.) This chat with Vince, plus the recent influx of new blood into the rimfire and air rifle arena, has spurred me on in writing this feature. I was part of the first group of shooters that started .22 benchrest shooting in the UK, and at the time we sort of worked it out for ourselves. Perhaps now it's time for a proper look into how to get hold of the stable bench you need for success.

Although the value of a really well-designed and constructed bench may not seem so obvious if you have not tried to achieve the kind of results we now regularly see in benchrest shooting, once you have experienced it all will become clear. I can vouch that if you do start off with a flimsy bench it will do nothing whatsoever for your confidence.

Space and material

It comes down to materials and space. The first, and easiest, solution is to buy a bench. Cicognani of Italy produces benches you can buy. I have seen some in use at a few Italian clubs but they are expensive, especially to UK customers with the current exchange rate showing the pound weak against the euro. One of these benches will cost you around £290 at the current rate. However, it's not that difficult to construct metal-frame benches similar to those on the market as long as you have someone to weld all the pieces for you. The metal-framed bench shown here (opposite page) is very stable and can even be fixed permanently to the floor with suitable fixing bolts. If you prefer to be able to move the bench instead of fixing the legs, put some dry, fine sand inside them to increase weight and stability (the sand must be dry, otherwise you will find your hard work gets corroded in a short space of time).

The frame doesn't have to be metal; you can also make it from wood. This can be as stable as metal but obviously won't last as long. Wooden benches do have the advantage of being semi-portable, though, as they can be taken down. We have both types at my club and the one used at the UK Nationals was made from wood. This created a very stable base which has been copied a number of times. There are a number of wood-based designs on the UKBR22 website at www.benchrest22.org. The ideas here may be useful as they are the original ones that were being bandied about a few years ago. I am sure that the more ingenious among our readership will be able to come up with something better with the added knowledge that having a fixed bench is best for stability. It all comes down to what you can afford, as making several of these takes a bit of cash.

One thing you need to remember with all these designs is to spend time getting the top of the bench as flat, level and regular as you can. The easiest way to achieve a flat bench top is with a piece of 20mm to 40mm thick pressurised laminate wood. If you can afford the best quality then so much the better. Do also consider the shape of the top, as it should be suitable for both left and right-handed shooters. The general shape can be seen in most of the pictures on these pages.

Fixed benches

Another approach to a fixed bench is to use building blocks. Obviously this would be a permanent structure, but it would also be extremely stable. The pictures you can see here of the new benchrest facilities in Weimar, built for the centrefire World Championship, show just how seriously some ranges take bench construction. I don't think any of us have to go that far to shoot rimfire or air rifle benchrest, but it shows what can be done when seeking the ultimate in a solid and perfectly-aligned bench. So whether you are shooting inside or outside, have lots of space or none at all, there are several options for making a bench that is both suitable for your home range and for you. Personally I would go for the metal frame as this offers the most advantages. I shot from the metal-frame benches used at last summer's European Championships and had no complaints at all.

Good shooting!

.22 RIMFIRE BENCHREST: DON'T FORGET THE BENCH!

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.22 RIMFIRE BENCHREST: DON'T FORGET THE BENCH!

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